Lucy Letby inquiry: ‘Basic failures’ by hospital had ‘fatal consequences’ on babies
“Basic failures” by the hospital where Lucy Letby worked had “fatal consequences”, an inquiry heard.
The former neonatal nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between the summers of 2015 and 2016.
On the third day of the inquiry looking into how Letby, 34, was able to commit her crimes, Peter Skelton KC, representing seven of the families, detailed five “basic failures” by the hospital.
Speaking at Liverpool Town Hall, he said: “The first failure was to conduct swift, careful and methodical investigations into why each of the deaths occurred and whether there were connections between the deaths.”
He added: “That was a major and catastrophic failure.”
Mr Skelton said it meant vital information was overlooked, with “fatal consequences” for other children.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘To lose a baby is heartbreaking experience, which nobody should go through’
‘Deaths should have been escalated’
Mr Skelton said the cluster of deaths and collapses should have been escalated to senior management within the hospital trust immediately, so they could have overseen investigations.
“It should have been in the minds of those conducting and overseeing the investigations that the cluster of unexpected and unexplained deaths might have been caused by the criminal acts of a member of hospital staff,” he said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
‘Staff should have kept minds open’
The barrister said a report into Beverley Allitt, a nurse who killed children at Grantham Hospital, Lincolnshire, in 1991, sought to ensure that healthcare staff were prepared to keep their minds open to the possibility of criminal conduct.
Mr Skelton also noted how in May 2015, nurse Victorino Chua was sentenced for murdering patients at Stepping Hill Hospital.
“It is difficult to understand why events at Stepping Hill did not at the very least alert those at the Countess of Chester from the start that the cluster of unexpected deaths were the result of potential criminality and that active steps were required to rule out that possibility,” he said.
Read more:
Doubts over Letby conviction as families seek answers
Serial killer case formed part of Letby’s training – inquiry
‘Police and coroner should have been informed’
Mr Skelton said the police and coroner should have been informed at the outset, which could have had a “profound effect” on the course of events.
He told the inquiry the fifth failure was not to inform the families that the deaths were being investigated with a view to finding out why they occurred.
At a recent retrial, Letby was convicted of attempting to murder another baby.
It confirmed her as the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
The inquiry, chaired by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is expected to sit until early 2025, with findings published by late autumn of that year.
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway